Abstract: A method for sending and receiving information between a vehicle data processing system and a resource data system via a wireless communication system is provided wherein the vehicle data processing system comprises a vehicle computer for generating an intelligent software agent and operating a data engine for processing information and identifying needed information. Information needed by the data engine is identified which is available from the resource data system. The intelligent software agent is generated within the vehicle computer based on the needed information wherein the intelligent software agent comprises software routines which collect an information packet when propagated to the resource data system. The intelligent software agent is transmitted to the resource data system via the wireless communication system. The software routines are executed within the resource data system to produce the information packet.

Abstract: A vehicle navigation system for providing route guidance in response to an input destination. The navigation system comprises a position sensing unit for sensing the location of the vehicle, a user input device for entering preferred route criteria and the desired destination, a display for outputting route guidance information, a controller, and a machine learning unit. The machine learning unit communicates with the controller and the user input, and monitors the user-selected preferred route criteria during a learning phase. Once the preferred route criteria have been learned, the machine learning unit enters an intervention phase whereby inferred user-preferred route criteria is transmitted directly to the controller. In this manner, users need not enter preferred route criteria upon each navigation sequence.